
Steve Clarke must heed the Ange Postecoglu warning and fix up or risk his Scotland legacy writes Bill Leckie
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
THREE years ago, Steve Clarke dragged himself to Armenia for the last game of a long season with his reputation hanging by a thread.
Tomorrow night over in Liechtenstein, history repeats.
4
Steve Clarke is in a familiar position under pressure as Scotland boss
Credit: PA
4
His side travel to Leichtenstein after Friday's humbling at home to Iceland
Credit: PA
4
The goalkeeper situation is just one challenge facing the boss
Credit: Kenny Ramsay
Had he failed to deliver in Yerevan off the back of a 3-0 dismal drubbing in Dublin that had the Tartan Army howling for blood, he might not have been around to lead us to the Euros in Germany.
Now? Let's not kid ourselves on that what had been a meaningless friendly in sleepy Vaduz hasn't become every bit as crucial.
Let's not pretend there isn't a growing feeling that he's not the right man to take us into this autumn's World Cup qualifiers.
As I wrote in this column back in June 2022, there comes a point for every Scotland manager — from Wee Berti to Big Eck, from Burley to Levein and more — from which there's no coming back.
That Clarke dragged himself back from the brink of that point once, a 4-1 win over Armenia leading to the best run of his reign, did him huge credit.
But to be back in the same place now is hugely worrying.
Or, at least, it is to you and I as punters.
Whether it means that much to the man himself?
Well, let's rewind to a statement he made before our Nations League play-off against Greece in March, when he responded to a question about his future from my colleague Robert Grieve.
He said then he was "running down my contract".
Napoli fan gets incredible Scott McTominay tattoo with permanent nod to Scotland hero's bizarre new nickname
Not putting all thoughts of stepping down on hold until the job's done.
Not leaving his future in the hands of SFA blazers.
Not being 1000% committed to the dream of leading us out on the biggest stage of all.
But running down his contract.
I'm not the only one those words jarred with at the time, nor can I be the only one whose head they're swirling around after how the Greeks dismantled us and how shambolic we were in that 3-1 loss to Iceland on Friday night.
You'd hope he didn't mean those words they way they came across.
But since no one at the SFA has clarified the statement and given that he has passed up plenty of opportunities since to do so personally, we can only presume he did.
If so, it suggests — as did three months of self-imposed radio silence in the wake of our disastrous German campaign — that Clarke is very much in charge of if and when he walks away.
Which, for me, leaves the SFA painted into the same corner over who leads us into the World Cup qualifiers as they are over who played in goals against Iceland.
Late on Friday night Clarke repeated his claim that he's been warning his bosses for months about us being light between the sticks, what with Craig Gordon pushing 43 and no outstanding successor breathing down his neck.
In the spaces between his words, the message seemed obvious: we ended up with quaking rookie Cieran Slicker taking the flak for a chaotic defeat because the Blazers sat on their hands.
On this, I'll make three points.
Scott McTominay's career
Born in Lancaster on December 8, 1996
Joined the Manchester United youth system aged five and signed his first professional contract in 2013
Made his Premier League debut against Arsenal in May 2017
McTominay went on to win Carabao Cup and FA Cup with Man Utd
Made 255 appearances and scored 29 goals for the Red Devils
McTominay joined Napoli in August for £25.7million
Born in England, he qualified for Scotland through his dad who's from Helensburgh
McTominay was called-up by Scotland in March 2018 and has gone on to become a huge Hampden favourite
He was part of the squad at Euro 2020 and Euro 2024
He won his 50th cap while playing against Germany at Euro 2024
McTominay has scored some huge goals for Scotland, including an injury-time winner against Israel and his famous double in the 2-0 win over Spain in Glasgow
One, that if a manager has enough clout to decide when his time's up, he surely has enough to TELL his bosses to sort something this important.
Two, that finding players should be HIS job in the first place, not theirs.
And three?
That if he was struggling for cover after losing Gordon, Zander Clark and Liam Kelly, he could have called in a Ross Doohan, a Scott Bain or a Jon McCracken as cover for Angus Gunn and Robby McCrorie.
Not someone who, at 22, still hasn't even played a senior league game.
Instead, he spent Saturday chasing Doohan for an occasion that suddenly takes on the importance of a qualifying-group shootout.
That's not a good look for anyone involved.
At a time when Clarke himself talks of a dressing room full of champions, what must McTominay and Gilmour, Robertson and McGinn, Ferguson and Tierney be thinking as they haul themselves to one last camp after draining campaigns only to find we're one pulled hamstring from playing backy-in goalies?
Only they can tell us that.
But let me tell you what I'm thinking — that Steve Clarke is in danger of losing his grip on Scotland and of ruining the legacy most of us wished he'd leave behind.
Sure, there's an argument that after taking us to our first two international tournaments in a generation, his legacy should be assured.
But I'll counter that with two words: Ange Postecoglou.
4
Ange Postecoglou's Spurs fate proves that legacies are never safe in football
Credit: Getty
Fact is, if a manager can be emptied a fortnight after winning his club's first European trophy in 41 years, it can sure as hell happen to anyone.
Fact is, if any manager started next season with four wins in 21 games, he'd been gone before the 22nd kicked off — and that's Steve Clarke's current record.
Fact is, when Scotland were flying, no one bothered that Clarke lived in London and was, to all intents and purposes, working part-time.
But now, you look at Craig Bellamy moving his family home to Wales and working full-time out of their FA headquarters and you think:
Shouldn't WE be entitled to expect that commitment?
Sure, there's an argument that with obvious candidates like David Moyes and Derek McInnes now off the market — though I'd love to know Darren Fletcher's thoughts on the job — changing bosses now would maybe be more hassle than it's worth.
But that still shouldn't mean the man in possession being allowed to dictate his own terms.
Listen, I want Scotland to win this final game of the season — and win it well.
Come the qualifiers, I then want Steve Clarke to do what he did three years ago by going on a run that propels us to a major tournament.
There's a harsh reality about tomorrow night in Vaduz, though.
A truth that's as unavoidable as it is unpalatable.
It's that back in 2022, most genuine fans still wanted Clarke to pull through and kick on.
Whereas today, an awful lot really couldn't care either way.
That's sad. But maybe it's what happens when it feels like you're taking what we all think is a privileged job for granted.
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
38 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Football legend Lothar Matthaus, 64, repeatedly pictured with new 26-year-old 'female friend' after his FIFTH divorce
German football legend Lothar Matthaus is making waves in his homeland after being repeatedly pictured with a new 'female friend' 38 years his junior. The 64-year-old, who has been divorced five times, has been strutting about in public with 26-year-old Instagram model Theresa Sommer. Matthaus, who won the 1990 World Cup with West Germany and seven Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich, has been seen watching football, driving, and even at a celebrity ski race with Sommer. Having a gargantuan age gap is nothing new to the Ballon d'Or winner, who shared a 27 year split with his most recent wife Anastasia Klimko. But 38 years is on a different level to any relationship that he has been known to have - though it is not clear if this one is platonic or romantic. According to her LinkedIn page, Sommer studied economics and management at King's College in London before taking psychology at Durham University. Back in April, she and Matthaus were seen attending a celebrity ski race in Ischgl in Austria. They were also at the Allianz Arena in Munich for Germany's semi-final match against Portugal in the Nations League and Spain's final against the latter four days later. Meanwhile, they were also filmed in a car together on their way to an event. German newspaper Bild made contact with Matthaus about his latest connection but he did not reply. When they were at the skiing contest, they told A2 Television: 'We came for skiing, and the rest is a private matter.' Matthaus' life off the pitch has seldom been quiet, with the former Germany captain going through five divorces. Matthaus married his first wife, Silvia, in 1981. The couple had two children - Alisa born in 1986 and Viola born in 1988 - but divorced in 1992. In the same year, Lolita Morena gave birth to his third child, Loris. Matthaus and Morena, a Swiss model and TV presenter who represented her country at Miss World in 1982 and Miss Universe a year later, were married in 1994 but divorced in 1999 shortly before his retirement. Matthaus swapped the pitch for the dugout two years later, beginning his managerial career at Rapid Vienna in September 2001 before taking charge of Partizan Belgrade in December of the following year. Success as a manager may have eluded him, but he found love again in the Serbian capital in the shape of 31-year-old fashion entrepreneur Marijana Colic. Colic, who along founding two fashion brands was the face of Samsung's football-themed campaign during the 2006 World Cup, was married to Serbian agribusiness magnate Miodrag Kostic between 1990 and 1999. She and Matthaus tied the knot in November 2003, but their marriage came to an end four years later after a lengthy divorce case in Salzburg - their last shared residence. The pair initially separated after Matthaus began dating Ukrainian model Kristina Liliana Chudinova in 2007. Colic, who still bears Matthaus' surname, filed for divorce soon afterward. During the year-long divorce case, the couple allegedly looked to reach an out-of-court settlement over the division of their assets. The former Bayern Munich reportedly offered his ex-wife an €100,000 settlement and the ownership of their penthouse in Budapest. His third wife (pictured here with pop star Rita Ora, right) is a successful fashion entrepreneur and was previously married to one of Serbia's richest men While details of the divorce case were not made public, Blic reported Colic did not appeal the ruling, suggesting she was satisfied with the outcome. By the time the divorce was officially ratified in January 2009, Matthaus had already married Chudinova. He was 47 at the time, 26 years older than her. The pair met at the Oktoberfest in Munich in 2007 and exchanged vows in Las Vegas in December 2008. The fact the pair tied the knot came as a surprise in itself, give they briefly went separate ways in February 2008 before reconciling their differences. They lived in Tel Aviv, where the former Germany star took charge of Maccabi Netanya in June 2008, only to terminate his contract in April of the following year with the club mired in financial dire straits. Matthaus' fourth marriage hit the rocks early in 2010, when tabloids released pictures of his wife passionately embracing an unnamed Monaco businessman on his yacht during a holiday in Sardinia. Matthaus married for a fifth and hitherto last time in 2014, when he tied the know with Anastasia Klimko, from whom he had a son, Milan. The couple divorced in 2021 but were spotted together at the Oktoberfest two years later, leading to speculations a rekindling of their flame may be on the cards.


The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Wimbledon increases prize money by seven per cent to £53.5m
The All England Club's announcement comes amid growing player demands for a bigger share of grand slam profits. A place like no other. A Championships like no other. There is only One #Wimbledon. — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 9, 2025 In April, 20 leading players sent a letter to the heads of the four majors calling for greater contributions and discussions were held at a meeting during the French Open. At Wimbledon's pre-tournament media briefing, chair Debbie Jevans said: 'We are absolutely committed to continuing our long-standing commitment to player compensation. 'We're immensely proud of the fact that if you look back 10 years, you can see the increase over that period (of 100 per cent) and seven per cent this year. 'We have listened to the players, we have engaged with the players. Of course we will always listen and discuss with them but the focus on just the prize money at four events, the grand slams, does not get to the heart of what the challenge is with tennis. 'The challenge with tennis is the fact that the players don't have an off season, which they want, they have increasing injuries that they're speaking about and we've always said that we as Wimbledon are willing to engage and talk with the tours to try and find solutions and that door remains open. 'As yet, there hasn't been any proposal to us as to how the tour is able to change its structure. Last year's men's champion Carlos Alcaraz won £2.7million (Mike Egerton/PA) 'There's a bigger picture here but, as a tennis player, they're always going to, I think, ask for more money.' Two big changes at this year's tournament – which starts on June 30 – had previously been announced, with the singles finals moving from 2pm starts on the final weekend to 4pm, while line judges are being replaced by a live electronic calling system. The latter decision follows a move within the wider sport, although the French Open has resisted change and this year's event was again held with line calls decided purely by human officials. Wimbledon's removal of line judges was met with dismay by many and the All England Club revealed around 80 former officials would be employed this year as match assistants, with two on each court offering support to the umpire, while they will also provide back-up, should the electronic system fail. Behind the scenes, Wimbledon's biggest project remains the planned expansion into neighbouring Wimbledon Park, which would add a further 39 grass courts but is currently mired in legal challenges. Line judges are a thing of the past at Wimbledon (Steven Paston/PA) Although planning permission has been granted, a local protest group has brought a judicial review, which will be heard at the High Court on July 8 and 9 during the second week of the tournament. A hearing into whether there is a statutory trust on the land will be heard in January 2026, further delaying the project, plans for which were first submitted in 2021. Wimbledon, meanwhile, will continue to provide support for Ukrainian players in terms of practice facilities and accommodation.


Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Sane bids farewell to Bayern ahead of Galatasaray move
June 12 (Reuters) - Leroy Sane said farewell to Bayern Munich fans in a video posted on social media on Thursday, as the German winger moves closer to completing a switch to Turkish side Galatasaray. Turkish Super Lig champions Galatasaray had earlier said that they had started transfer talks with Sane and that the 29-year-old Germany international was in Istanbul. Sane joined Bayern in 2020, signing a five-year deal from English side Manchester City, where he won the Premier League title in 2018 and 2019. He would be joining Galatasaray as a free agent, with his Bayern deal expiring at the end of June. He has won the Bundesliga four times with Bayern, including the most recent campaign, as well as two DFL-Supercups, one UEFA Super Cup and a Club World Cup. "Dear Bayern fans, after five intense years here in Munich, I've decided to start a new chapter in the upcoming season," Sane posted on Instagram. "I'm incredibly proud to have worn the jersey of the best and biggest club in Germany for over 200 matches and will always cherish the titles we've won together. "Thank you to the club, the coaching staff, everyone behind the scenes, my teammates, and especially you, the fans, for the time we've shared and the memories we've made. I will forever be grateful for my time here Bayern!" Sane, capped 70 times for Germany, has bagged 61 goals and registered 55 assists in 220 appearances for Bayern in all competitions.